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  3. [To all NU students and staff] Remember cases of COVID-19 will be increasing this summer (Message from the President)

[To all NU students and staff] Remember cases of COVID-19 will be increasing this summer (Message from the President)

Aug 04 2023

The rainy season is over, and summer has been in full swing. This summer, in particular, is extremely hot with a heat stroke alert issued almost every day.

Some three months have passed since the Novel Coronavirus Infectious Disease (COVID-19) was reclassified as Class 5, the same as seasonal flu. It is great to see us slowly resuming a normal life like before COVID-19. There has been less media coverage of COVID-19, making us feel as if the pandemic is over. But, the reality is that, similarly to last summer, COVID-19 infections have been on the increase, closing in on an alert level.

In fact, since July, more and more people in Japan have been infected with an XBB variant, which is antigenically different from other Omicron variants and highly transmissible, and the infection cases have risen in Niigata Prefecture particularly recently as well. The same trend has been identified from the statistics of COVID-19 cases recorded by our Health Administration Center. Experts warn that cases of the new variant may continue to rise this summer, reaching their peak late August or early September. Also, to be noted is that, unlike other nations, Japan has not yet reached a full herd immunity against the coronavirus.

People infected with this new lineage will develop less pneumonia but may instead have a fever and a severe sore throat. The symptoms will be relatively mild for young people and are unlikely to become serious. And yet, they may have difficulty eating and drinking because of a pain in the throat and could suffer an array of health problems due to dehydration from the summer heat and fever.

Many of you are planning to go and see your parents or attend a training camp for a school club activity during this long summer vacation. Please enjoy your summer but always keep this pandemic situation in mind. You do not have to be too nervous. But, all you need to do is to continue take basic preventive measures, such as wearing a mask as needed, disinfecting your fingers and hands, and ventilating air. If you do not feel well, stay home. Make your plans carefully, considering that it is difficult to see a doctor particularly during the Obon period (mid-August).

I strongly suggest that you have in place antigen test kits, oral rehydration solution, antipyretics (fever reducers), and other medical necessities.

Our official website contains links to infection-related websites of the national government and those of local governments. Our Health Administration Center’s website* provides information on how to respond when feeling unwell and when testing positive(*available only in Japanese). Again, please remember that Covid-19 is not over yet. Take good care of yourself, be careful of heat stroke, and make this summer a fruitful one.

 


What to do in these situations?

●Guideline for checking your physical condition.
  • When the initial symptoms are difficult to grasp or it is too hot to tell if you have a fever.
    →Take your temperature: If it is above 37.5°C or 1°C above normal, you may have a fever caused by COVID-19.
  • When you are unable to decide if it is COVID-19 or a cold
    →Did you eat together or were you in the same room with someone infected COVID-19 a couple of days ago? Test with an antigen test kit. It may be still negative if you get COVID-19 on the day the fever begins. If this is the case, try another test the next day. The first symptoms of recent COVID-19 are fever and tiredness and after a few days the throat becomes sore and many people cannot take water or food.
●When you think you may have contracted COVID-19, but there is no one to talk to.?
  • ?When hospitals closed and university closed.
    →Call the "Niigata Prefecture COVID-19 Health Consultation Center". 025-385-7634, 025-385-7541, 025-256-8275(available 24 hours a day including weekends and holidays, in Japanese), Multilingual COVID-19 Hotline:?? 025-256-8573? (available 24 hours a day including weekends and holidays)
●When meeting the elderly or people with underlying health conditions or gathering in large groups for summer vacation trips or homecomings, pay special attention to the following:
  1. Hand washing or hand sanitizing
  2. Proper ventilation: "mechanical ventilation (24-hour ventilation system or exhaust fan)" or "natural ventilation (open windrows)
  3. Wearing a mask?
    ?When visiting a doctor's office or a medical institution or elderly care facility, etc.?
    ?When boarding a crowded train or bus, such as during rush hour?
    ?As needed for long transportation trips
●General notes
  • If you have cold symptoms (fever, tiredness, cough, sore throat, etc.), do not go out, meet with others, participate in club activities, or attend dinner or drinking parties.
  • Advise those with cold symptoms to refrain as much as possible from participating in club activities, eating, drinking, and traveling.
  • To strengthen your immune system, lead a regular life as much as possible. Excessive fatigue and irregular lifestyles lower the immune system, making it easier to contract colds and COVID-19.

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